Scientists from the University of Sustainable Development Eberswalde asked customers of two organic markets in Berlin about their experiences with the zero-waste units set up there. The conclusion is that stores have to do more to facilitate and thus support the purchase of unpacked goods.

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) continues to grow with an increase of 14.6 percent. The organisation now certifies 5,760 companies in 64 countries. GOTS presented further business figures in a press release.

The organic grain production in the US is growing, but not fast enough to meet the needs of the food and expanding organic livestock industry. This is the result of a report released by the US Organic Grain Collaboration, in partnership with the Organic Trade Association.

In the USA, 11,200 lawsuits have been filed by people who blame the pesticide Roundup with its active ingredient glyphosate for having caused their cancer disease. This was announced by the Bayer Group in its 2018 Annual Report.

The EU Commission, member states and the organic industry are struggling to determine the details of the new EU Organic Regulation. It depends on them whether the regulation will lead to progress or chaos.

In addition to constantly growing sales and new trends, the organic industry needs one thing above all else: forward-looking concepts for an ecological future. organic-market.info visited Biofach and reports on strategies towards more agroecology as well as the latest trends in organic food and natural cosmetics.

The Federal Council of Switzerland wants to facilitate the approval of products from genome editing. The committee decided that the current genetic engineering legislation should be "risk-based and adapted to new developments". The Council intends to present a draft law.

According to estimates, the share of German organic land increased by 109,863 hectares (plus 8%) to around 1.5 mn hectares last year. What else has happened in the German organic sector in 2018 was announced last week by the Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW) at its annual press conference at Biofach in Nuremberg.

In 2017, the European and international organic sector again recorded strong area and market growth. In Europe alone, organic sales grew by around 11%. This was announced by FiBL and its partners at Biofach in Nuremberg.

Company founders Joseph Wilhelm and Margit Epple are no longer alone at the head of Rapunzel. This is because the organic producer from the Allgäu region has welcomed a new member to its management team.

The sales development in the fourth quarter confirms the previous development: In 2018, the organic specialist trade achieved an overall increase of 6.2% in daily turnover - despite increasingly tough competition.

Nigerian farmers are now allowed to grow genetically modified (GM) black eyed peas. The plant produces a bt-toxin to ward off the bean pyralid. The manipulated genetic material for this comes from the genetic engineering company Monsanto.

The herbicide Roundup Pro 360 from Bayer may no longer be sold and used in France. This was decided by the administrative court of the French city of Lyon. The judges argued that the approval of the weedkiller by the ANSES in 2016 was flawed.